Suspicious Minds
by advienne
Summary: Sophie and the famous Wizard Howl, are to be married, but will girls flirting Howl, who think badly of Sophie stop this marriage dead in it tracks? Or will Howl really prove to Sophie she is beautiful and loved by him?
1. In Which Sophie Sees the Heartless Man

**Chapter 1**: In Which Sophie Sees the Heartless Man

Sophie looked out the window near the Witch's bed, "What are Howl and Markl doing out there, Calcifer?" She leaned closer, brushing her starlit hair behind one ear.

"Ah… nothing Sophie, could you come over here and give me a piece of wood?"

"Why does Howl keep pacing around like that?" She squinted, her dark brown eyes, "And why does he kept kneeling in front of Markl? It like they're practicing a play or some—"

"Sophie! Wood! I'm dying over her!" Calcifer cried.

"Oh sorry!" Sophie quickly placed a log down on the flames. "Calcifer tell me what they are doing. Is it a spell?"

The fire mumbled something as he stuffed a log in his mouth.

"Well if you aren't going to tell me, then I'm going out there!" Sophie grabbed her boots.

"No Sophie, don't! Howl will kill me if you go out there! His been practicing how to propose to you all morning, jeez, and he took forever picking out the ring!" The fire went on complaining.

Just then Howl and Markl walked up the stairs hearing Calcifer telling Sophie everything—unintentionally.

"Ring…? Propose…?" Sophie stood up utterly confused.

"Calcifer!" screamed both the wizard and his apprentice

"Oh no…" the magical fire shrank into a flicker.

"Howl, w hat is Calcifer talking about?" Sophie looked at the man, whose heart and life she saved only days ago.

"Now I guess is better than ever… Thanks Calcifer." The wizard said out the side of his mouth as he walked past the fire. Standing in front of the young girl Howl spoke, "Sophie I was once known as a selfish heartless man, but you changed that. I could not see me life going one without you beside me." Kneeling Howl took her hand, "Marry me Sophie."

Looking up at the room, Sophie saw Markl and Heen in each arm of the Witch of the Waste, squeezing them and Calcifer was practically falling out of the hearth, all of them with bright teary-eyed smiles.

Howl squeezed her hand gently making Sophie look back down, "Of course! Howl I love you!" Not waiting for the wizard to put the ring on her finger, Sophie wrapped her arms around her love causing them to fall.

One week later…

Sophie looked out the open window over the kitchen sink as she washed the morning's dishes. "Markl!" she called, "Markl come inside!"

Drying her hands Sophie felt arms circle her waist, "There's my girl," Howl whispered.

"Oh please you too are making me sick anymore with this lovey-dovey kissing stuff. Will you too just get married already! Jeez!" Calcifer rolled his eyes and grabbed for another log.

"He's just jealous I got you the most beautiful girl in all the kingdoms," Howl smiled as he pulled back to see the young girl turn around. Giggling, Sophie smiled back as the infamous wizard leaned in for a kiss.

"Sophie! Master Howl! I'm going to Porthaven to get something for my new spell. I'll be back for lunch I promise!" Markl yelled in one breath as he switched the dial to green and went into the Porthaven entrance.

"Bye…" Sophie said before Markl could hear then laughed, "Well at least we know he will be coming back."

Howl followed after the boy to turn the dial to blue. "Are you ready to go to Market Chipping?" Howl now stood by Calcifer feeding him a piece of wood. "I thought after you went to the hat shop to get whatever you needed that perhaps we could look at bakery to pick out a cake on our big day."

"That would be lovely Howl." Sophie fixed her hat and took his arm as they went out the Market Chipping portal. "Be back soon Calcifer!"

As the door slammed shut, the glowing fire looked at the aged Witch of the Waste, "Please hurry…" he groaned.

"What a pretty fire," the witch said with a smile.

"I will only be a minute Howl, just wait out here." Sophie went up the steps to her old hat shop.

Outside Howl stood taking in the market's crowd and his old stomping grounds for picking up girls, whose heart he had once stolen.

"Sophie! I can't believe you are getting married to Wizard Howl! You must be so excited! When is the big day?" Her mother asked smothering her in a huge hug.

Moving some of her mother's golden locks out of the way to speak Sophie told her that they had not yet picked a day. "We really haven't decided the day because well Howl only purposed to me last week, but we want a summer wedding." Bending her head the blushing girl continued, "Howl thinks that the flowers would be pretty then and that I look beautiful in—"

Suddenly her mother turned around, "Oh I have the hat for you Mrs. Welding" and with that Sophie's mother was helping and listening to some else.

Giving a sigh, Sophie went into her old room and gathered her memory box, which was the only thing she really wanted to keep from her old life. Howl had provided everything else in her life now—her new life.

"Goodbye Mother," Sophie yelled back into the shop as she left to go meet Howl.

"Oh Goodbye dear!"

Stepping out into the street, Sophie was met with Howl being surrounded with young girls. Sophie quickly stepped into the arch of the door way to hear what they were talking about.

"I can't believe you are getting married Howl!" a girl with blond pigtails yelled.

"I know! Who is the girl Howl? You must tell us who stole the heart of the most handsome man in the kingdom!" another girl who asked twirling her hair.

Leaning coolly against the wall to the hat shop the once arrogant wizard answered all the bubbling girls' questions. "I'm to be married to Sophie Hatter."

Sophie slowly went down the stairs to meet up with her fiancé, but stopped.

In shock the girls covered their mouths, "Oh heaven and earth Howl how could you marry such a plain girl!" a redheaded girl remarked.

"And ugly!" added the blond.

One girl who looked like Howl's type spoke up then, "Out of all the Hatter girls, Sophie, REALLY?"

A girl who was undoubtedly beautiful took Howl's hand, "You should have married me Howl. You know everyone in town thinks I would have been a handsome match for you." Looking up at Howl under her lush lashes the girl admitted, "If you hadn't been such a bad man." Blushing the girl winked at the wizard.

Sophie felt tears prick her dark brown eyes as she heard all the nasty remarks made about her—and it didn't help Sophie thought them herself already—besides that Howl did nothing to counter what those girls where saying. 'Maybe he agrees with them…" Sophie thought as she ran past them.

Looking up, Howl saw Sophie run past. "Sophie…" pulling his hand away he took off after her.

Sophie ran as hard as she could back to the entrance to the castle and with a quick pull she flung herself through the door and went to where Calcifer and the Witch of the Waste were sitting.

"Sophie, Sophie, what's the matter?" the fire leaned over a log.

Pacing in front of the fire the young girl gathered some self control and explained why she was in so much pain, "And he didn't even defend me! Calcifer, he didn't even deny what they were saying." Sophie finished shaking from anger and thoughts of betrayal "He is thinking what they said was true! I mean Howl can see that I'm plain and ugly! UGH! And those girls were ten times prettier than I could ever be… I was such a fool." Sophie covered her face as she cried her poor heart out.

"Maybe he didn't have a chance to explain." Calcifer tried to think of an excuse for his former master, but inside he thought that Howl had gone back to his old ways and poor Sophie might now think of Howl as he once was—heartless.

"I can't be here anymore!" With that, Sophie ran to the door, but before she could make a run for it someone opened the portal.

"Sophie!" Howl panted as he caught his breath, his raven hair covered his distressed look. "Are you crying? Sophie why did—" With quick thinking Sophie slammed the door in his face before he could step through. Switching the dial to Porthaven the young girl went running out.

Sophie's starlit hair whipped behind her as she ran into the town, 'I never want to see him again, what a fool I was to think the wizard Howl would ever love someone as ugly as me.' Sophie cried harder then at the thought of never going back to the man she deeply loved. Holding her heart as she ran, Sophie was too lost in her self hating thoughts that she did not hear someone calling her name.

"Sophie! Sophie! Stop it's me Markl!" the young boy caught up to the girl as she turned down an ally way and sank to the floor.

"What are you doing here? Where is Howl?"

At the sound of his name, Sophie gave a great big sob, hurting her lungs as she did so, "I don't want to go back to that castle ever again!"

Markl bent down next to the girl and patted her back, "What happened, Sophie?"

Moments later, the wizard opened the door only to find his castle empty. Howl ran up the stairs, "Calcifer! Calcifer, where did she go?"

"I can't believe you hurt her really bad this time Howl." The fire put his arms on his hips and turned his face away from the 'heartless' man.

"CALCIFER! Tell me where Sophie went!" Howl screamed at the fire also blowing him out.

Peeking out from behind a log, "She went to Porthaven. She is not coming back Howl you hurt her. Why didn't you say anything back to those girls?"

Suddenly the open flew open, it was Markl. "Sophie is in Porthaven!" the young boy cried. The youngster pushed the door close against the wind and rain that was falling in the town.

"I have to go to her," Howl whispered to himself. Running down the stairs the wizard was stopped by his apprentice.

"Sophie told me to tell you not to come find her and that if she wanted to come back to the castle she would on her own."

Pushing past the boy, Howl went out into the storm to find Sophie.

A/N: okay… so tell me what you think b/c if you people don't tell me if you like it or not then this will be the only chapter b/c I really didn't know how to continue this story after the movie, So if you liked it tell me and if you think it could use some work…tell me! Thx!


	2. In Which Sophie Makes Her Feelings Known

Chapter 2: In which Sophie makes her feelings known

Sophie wiped her face as she started to head home, "Oh what a mess this is all is." Looking up the young girl closed her eyes and saw flashes of the girls faces and their hands all over Howl, "I was such a fool to think the _famous wizard_ Howl would ever pick a plain girl like me." Sophie caught sight of her starlight hair and thought of how Howl touched her hair when he had woke up. Fiddling with her hair, the young girl smiled at this thought. "Oh perhaps I was just being silly." Opening the door to the castle, Sophie saw everyone inside, but Howl.

"Sophie you're back!" Markl jumped off the stool and ran for the girl. "We were so worried; Master Howl went looking for you."

"He did?" Just then the lord of the castle walked in.

"Where have you been?" Howl's tone was dark with anger.

Taken back a little Sophie, "I was upset and I decided to go home."

"Go home? Sophie you took off from Market Chipping for reasons I don't know and then you slam the door in my face and take off to Porthaven. Tell me what is going on because if you have a problem then you need to tell me and not run off like . . . like some. . ." Howl stood at the top of the stairs leading to the front door.

Anger flared in Sophie, "I took off because when I came out of the hat shop and you were surrounded by I can only assume were many of your old girlfriends and then they were asking you about how could you ever let yourself marry someone like me! Besides that you could not even tell them why you wanted to marry me!"

"That is no reason to act like a child and run off." Howl began to walk about the room; he was as wet as Sophie, "besides I wasn't even listening to them."

"How could you listen to them when they were all-"

Howl waved his hands over his wet clothes and in a instance was dry, "Sophie that was a very silly thing you did and now you probably are going to get a cold." The wizard moved towards Sophie to perform the drying spell.

Hachoo! the young girl cover her mouth, "Oh now you care about my welfare!" Sophie yelled back at Howl, "I'm taking a bath and I want to be left only for the rest of the night." Going up the stairs the young girl called back to Calicfer to start up the hot water, sniffling along the way.

"Howl, do you think Sophie will ever talk to you?" Markl asked as he bit into a piece of bread. "I mean she seems pretty mad at you."

The Witch of the Waste quickly hushed the boy, "Don't mind him to silly to know about love…go talk to her Howl."

The young lord gave a heavy sigh, "Sometimes I wish I was still a coward." With that, Howl headed up stairs.

"Ah! Men!" the Witch declared.

Sophie grabbed her night gown and headed for the bathroom .She was very grateful now that Howl had built her room up stairs in their new home as she quickly stepped in the restroom. Thinking about it now Sophie thought of how going down stairs to get my things would be torture at the moment.

Steam began to fill up the room as the water filled the tub and just as Sophie had her soaking dress around her shoulders a knock came at the door.

"I'm busy you'll just have to wait."

"Sophie we need to talk about this."

The young girl turned to see Howl shut the door locking the couple in the room. Trying to pull her dress back down, Sophie again told Howl to get out.

"Sophie, please just listen to me for one— "

"Howl" –sneeze— "I don't want to talk to you because you one, I don't feel well and second I'm trying to take a bath and you should not be in here."

"Then let me help you," the wizard came to where Sophie stood and began to finish taking off her wet clothes.

"Howl, stop it!" Sophie began to wrestle with Howl in an attempt to keep her clothes on.

"Sophie stop being so silly and let me take care of you."

The water from the tub, which they kept hitting and the water from their clothes began to make a puddle under their feet.

"Howl just let me go I don't need your help." Sophie gave one last tug at her dress, then suddenly their feet were sliding.

BOOM

"What was that?" Markl asked as dust fell from the ceiling.

"Oh Howl look what you did!" Sophie almost began to cry at the sight of her dress as it was torn leaving her only in her knickers.

They were both in the bathtub now,"If you had just let me help you Sophie, it would not have happened." Howl gave a smile as he pulled himself out of the tub leaving Sophie. "Now if you would be so kind as to let me finish being a loving fiancé and let me take care of that cold—"

"Howl" Sophie pulled her legs to her chest trying to cover her wet white clothes.

Understanding that she did not like being to exposed, Howl took the hint that right now Sophie did not want him to play future husband. "Sophie I'll meet you down stairs, where we will finish this tantrum of yours." Departing with an unseen smile, Howl closed the door knowing that hit a button. _If she wants to act like a kid then I will treat her like one,_ the young lord thought.

Sophie threw her sopping clothes on the floor, "Me throwing a tantrum? Why I never have had such a claim about me. He is the biggest child I know!" The young girl slowing submerged herself into the steaming bath. "And to think I thought he had grown up."

Staying in longer than she should have, Sophie final got out of the tub and got dressed. The young girl finally decent for public view went down stairs hoping the rest had gone to bed. When Sophie got to the bottom of the stairs she saw Howl talking to Calcifer.

"Howl look who has came to talk to you." The fire could feel the tension in the room.

"How was your bath dear?" Howl leaded back in his chair, "I was thinking we could talk about this little problem of yours that is if you promise not to run away from me this time." With that he gave a smirk.

"Well that just proves that I was right about you being childish and other things." The young girl shot back directly to the wizard.

Swiftly Howl was on his feet ready for their heated battle, "I'm childish? You are the one running away and going into rain storms."

"You were talking to those girls… and you just…just listen to what they 're saying without one thought of defending me!" Sophie started to pace as she went off, "I ran off because Howl when people say horrible things about me…" She could feel the tears coming and beg silently they would stop. Looking up with tears magnifying her brown eyes, asked, "Do you still want to marry me?"

"Oh! Sophie!" Pulling her into his arms, Howl kissed her soft starlet hair, "Sophie, no one could ever make me take back asking you to marry me. I told you I was nothing without you by my side."

"Oh Howl I thought, well after you didn't say anything to those girls that you agreed wit what they were saying and that you were regretting asking me to marry you," Sophie buried her head into his chest as she felt his hands caress her back.

"I love you Sophie," Howl let her go and cupped her face. Leaning in the wizards lips touched Sophie's. It was light at first barely touching, but with effort their mouths became locked in a heart wrenching kiss. Pulling back Howl's deep blue eyes searched Sophie's, "Don't ever forget that."

The young girl gave a simple nod and smiled brightly at Howl, "I promise I won't run again."

A rich laughter filled the room, "Oh Sophie!" Howl wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head and he led them up stairs.

"You two make so much drama!" Calcifer yelled grabbing another log to eat.

"Goodnight Calcifer!" Howl yelled, "Oh and run hot water for my bath." Turning back the young man could hear the fire grumble at his request.

In the dark hallway, Howl grabbed Sophie's hand before she left him for the night, "Goodnight Sophie."

"Night Howl," Sophie looked at the handsome wizard, admiring his dark hair and striking blue eyes, "What is it Howl?"

Cupping her face, Howl smiled, "Sophie you're more beautiful than I could ever tell you."

Down stairs Calcifer was settling in for the night when scratching echoed from the bottom of the portal. Then as quick as light, a letter flew about the room resting in front of the fire.

Leaning out of the harth, the fire opened the mysterious letter,

"Man's whose heart I once loved—I shall find you with my eyes of envy."

Calcifer look around the room and back to the letter, "This can't be good."

A/N: I am so sorry I did not post sooner, its just been crazy for me to make time to write this chapter, I really hope you guys like it and that I haven't screwed it up to where isn't going to become a great story, well review and tell me what you think. Thx!


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